Imatges de pàgina
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Tho saugh I stonde on either syde,
Streight doun to the dores wyde,
Fro the dees, many a pileer

Of metal, that shoon not ful cleer;
But though they nere of no richesse,
Yet they were maad for greet noblesse,
And in hem greet [and hy] sentence;
And folk of digne reverence,

Of whiche I wol yow telle fonde,
Upon the piler saugh I stonde.
Alderfirst, lo, ther I sigh,
Upon a piler stonde on high,
That was of lede and yren fyn,
Him of secte Saturnyn,
The Ebrayk Iosephus, the olde,
That of Lewes gestes tolde;
And bar upon his shuldres hye
The fame up of the Iewerye.
And by him stoden other sevene,
Wyse and worthy for to nevene,
To helpen him bere up the charge,
Hit was so hevy and so large.
And for they writen of batailes,
As wel as other olde mervailes,
Therfor was, lo, this pileer,
Of which that I yow telle heer,
Of lede and yren bothe, y-wis.
For yren Martes metal is,
Which that god is of bataile ;
And the leed, withouten faile,
Is, lo, the metal of Saturne,

That hath ful large wheel to turne.
Tho stoden forth, on every rowe,

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1425

(340) 1430

1435

(350) 1440

1445

(360) 1450

Of hem which that I coude knowe,

1421. F. peler; B. pylere.

1425. I supply and hy.

1431. All fyne.

1432. Cx. Hym that wrote thactes dyuyne; P. om.; F. B. Th. Saturnyne.

1435. Cx. P. bare vpon; F. Th. B. he bare on. 1436. F. B. om. up.

F. stonden; rest stoden.

P. Cx. piler; F. B. pilere.

1437.

1442. P. Cx. Th. as of other merveilles.

1443.

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Thogh I hem noght by ordre telle,
To make yow to long to dwelle.
These, of whiche I ginne rede,
Ther saugh I stonden, out of drede:
Upon an yren piler strong,
That peynted was, al endelong,
With tygres blode in every place,
The Tholosan that highte Stace,
That bar of Thebes up the fame
Upon his shuldres, and the name
Also of cruel Achilles.

And by him stood, withouten lees,
Ful wonder hye on a pileer
Of yren, he, the gret Omeer;
And with him Dares and Tytus
Before, and eek he, Lollius,
And Guido eek de Columpnis,

1455

(370) 1460

1465

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1456. F. B. stonde; Cx. Th. stande; P. stond. Th. Tholason; P. Tolofan; Cx. tholophan. seyde Omere was. 1483. I supply dan; see l. 1499.

1485

1460. F. B. Tholausan; 1477. So Cx. Th. P.; F. B. 1484. F. B. omit a.

The grete god of Loves name.
And ther he bar up wel his fame,
Upon this piler, also hye

As I might see hit with myn yë:
For-why this halle, of whiche I rede
Was woxe on highte, lengthe and brede,
Wel more, by a thousand del,

Than hit was erst, that saugh I wel.

Tho saugh I, on a piler by,

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1495

Of yren wroght ful sternely,

The grete poete, daun Lucan,

And on his shuldres bar up than,

As highe as that I mighte see,
The fame of Iulius and Pompee.
And by him stoden alle these clerkes,
That writen of Romes mighty werkes,
That, if I wolde hir names telle,
Al to longe moste I dwelle.

And next him on a piler stood
Of soulfre, lyk as he were wood,
44 Dan Claudian, the soth to telle,
That bar up al the fame of helle,
Of Pluto, and of Proserpyne,

That quene is of the derke pyne.

What shulde I more telle of this?
The halle was al ful, y-wis,

Of hem that writen olde gestes,

As ben on treës rokes nestes ;

But hit a ful confus matere

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1505

(420) 1510

1515

Were al the gestes for to here,

That they of write, and how they highte.

But why that I beheld this sighte,

(430) 1520

I herde a noise aprochen blyve,

That ferde as been don in an hyve,
Agen her tyme of out-fleyinge;

Right swiche a maner murmuringe,

1492. F. And; rest As ; B. As I hit myght se with myn ye; P. Cx. Th. As I myght see it wyth myn ye. 1494. F. high the (=highthe); Cx. Th. heyght;

see 1. 744. 1498. F. sturmely.

1507. F. om. a

1515. F. inserts al of the before olde; B. inserts of the.

1510. F. B. om. al.

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For this folk, ful wel I wiste,

They hadde good fame ech deserved,
Althogh they were diversly served;
Right as hir suster, dame Fortune,
Is wont to serven in comune.

Now herkne how she gan to paye
That gonne hir of hir grace praye;
And yit, lo, al this companye
Seyden sooth, and noght a lye.
'Madame,' seyden they, 'we be
Folk that heer besechen thee,

That thou graunte us now good fame,
And lete our werkes han that name;
In ful recompensacioun

Of good werk, give us good renoun.'
'I werne yow hit,' quod she anoon,
'Ye gete of me good fame noon,

1527. All in-to (for in). Cx. Th. grace (for cause).

1545

(460) 1550

1555

(470) 1560

1543.

1530. F. alle skynnes; Cx. alle kyns.
1546. F. B. om, this line. 1549. F. B. herke.
1553. Cx. Th. P. sayd; F. quod; B.

1551. Cx. Th. P. yet; F. B. right. quoth.

By god! and therfor go your wey.'

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Alas,' quod they, 'and welaway!
Telle us, what may your cause be?'

'For me list hit noght,' quod she;
'No wight shal speke of yow, y-wis,
Good ne harm, ne that ne this.'
And with that word she gan to calle
Hir messanger, that was in halle,
And bad that he shulde faste goon,
Up peyne to be blind anoon,
For Eolus, the god of winde ;-
'In Trace ther ye shul him finde,
And bid him bringe his clarioun,
That is ful dyvers of his soun,
And hit is cleped Clere Laude,
With which he wont is to heraude
Hem that me list y-preised be:
And also bid him how that he
Bringe his other clarioun,

1565

(480) 1570

1575

That highte Sclaundre in every toun,
With which he wont is to diffame

(490) 1580

Hem that me list, and do hem shame.'

This messanger gan faste goon,

And found wher, in a cave of stoon,

In a contree that highte Trace,
This Eolus, with harde grace,
Held the windes in distresse,
And gan hem under him to presse,
That they gonne as beres rore,
He bond and pressed hem so sore.

This messanger gan faste crye,
'Rys up,' quod he, 'and faste hye,
Til that thou at my lady be;
And tak thy clarions eek with thee,
And speed thee forth.' And he anon
Took to a man, that hight Triton,

1570. F. B. Vpon the peyn to be blynde, omitting 1. 1572; Read Vp, the usual idiom. 1572. In Cx. Th. only. 1594. F. B. clarioun; see l. 1597.

that.

1585

(500) 1590

1595

Cx. Th. om. the. 1585. F. B. om.

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